Behind The Facade Of Incompetence
Must Read - A quote...."It is clear that the US media moguls would have us believe that the catastrophic invasion and occupation of Iraq was a sincere effort to promote freedom and democracy in the Middle East, gone awry. But we must remember that everything associated with capitalism is about marketing: making the people believe that things and events are the opposite of what they really are, and creating artificial wants that neither benefit the individual nor society, while simultaneously embellishing corporate profits."

See also....The Method - 05-07-07 - mpg
See also....US Support of Terror - Money & Guns for Everyone
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Silber Hammer: Mapping the Roads to Hell
Must Read - Related article - A quote...."The fact that the most intensive inspection program in the history of International Atomic Energy Agency has produced no evidence that Iran has a nuclear weapons program is irrelevant; very few of the American people have been told this by the corporate media, and they will not be told -- until, say, four months after the attack on Iran, when the "uncontrollable consequences of foreign intervention" that Silber mentions start to kick in."

See also....There's a Sucker Born Every Minute
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Rumsfeld 'kept up fear of terror attacks'
Related article - A quote...."Donald Rumsfeld, the former United States defence secretary, tried to maintain an atmosphere of fear in America as part of the Iraq war propaganda campaign, a series of leaked memos has shown."

See also....Fake Intel
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Sage Observations PG's quotes posted 07-24-07
Some more "Sage Observations"....for the most recent batch click on Sage Observations 11-02-07 - mpg

"It is in the nature of imperialism that citizens of the imperial power are always among the last to know--or care--about circumstances in the colonies."
 -- *Bertrand Russell*

"The president has adopted a policy of 'anticipatory self-defense' that is alarmingly similar to the policy that imperial Japan employed at Pearl Harbor, on a date which, as an earlier American president said it would, lives in infamy. Franklin D. Roosevelt was right, but today it is we Americans who live in infamy"
 -- *Arthur Schlesinger*

"I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. Some of these young men think that war is all glory but let me say war is all hell."
 -- *William Tecumseh Sherman*
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Livni behind closed doors: Iranian nuclear arms pose little threat to Israel
PG's Post - A quote...." 10/25/07 "h a a r e t z" -- -- Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said a few months ago in a series of closed discussions that in her opinion that Iranian nuclear weapons do not pose an existential threat to Israel, Haaretz magazine reveals in an article on Livni to be published tomorrow. "

Gulf Arabs offer to provide uranium to Iran: report
A quote...."DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states are willing to set up a body to provide enriched uranium to Iran to defuse Tehran's stand-off with the West over its nuclear plan, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister told a magazine on Thursday."

Russia confirms all commitments under Bushehr contract
PG's Post - A quote...."MOSCOW, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia has confirmed all commitments under the Bushehr nuclear power plant construction contract with Iran and is determined to comply with them, Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko told Ita r-Tass, when asked for a comment on the recent publication in Israel's daily Haaretz."

Taliban overrun another Afghan district
A quote...."HERAT, Afghanistan, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Taliban rebels have overrun a district centre in western Afghanistan as fighting took place in a nearby area captured earlier this week, a provincial official said on Thursday."

Hezbollah says it has grown stronger
A quote...."BEIRUT, Lebanon - The leader of the militant Hezbollah group said Thursday that his organization has grown stronger as Israel has weakened."

Sunni side up
A quote...."Bahrain's ruling dynasty fears a US attack on Iran could inflame tensions with the country's restive Shia majority, reports Ian Black from Manama "

Latin America's New Petro-Politics
A quote...."....the political landscape is rapidly evolving in Latin America, with traditional docility to U.S. economic and political demands giving way. As Latin American citizens express their discontent with conservative economic policies by electing more left-leaning leaders, countries are increasingly turning away from multinational energy companies and shifting their energy policies inward, nationally and regionally. - That approach is not likely to sit well with policymakers in Washington, or industry executives in Houston."

Meltdown at the US State Department
A quote...."You almost have to feel sorry for Condoleezza Rice these days. Seems that the Secretary of State is under attack on all fronts. Dissension in the ranks - possible insubordination - resignations - forced assignments."

Revolt of the diplomats
Related article - A quote...."The refusal of US state department officials to serve in Iraq isn't about politics. It's about self-preservation. - Soldiers in Iraq endure any number of indignities: protecting a populace that wants them gone, defending a government at war with itself and its constituents, redeployments that leave them with increasingly less time back at home. Being professionals, they tend to accept what they call "the suck" as a part of the job, however unfortunate. One suck they have a hard time embracing, however, is the fact that, by and large, the 160,000 troops bear the burden of Iraq alone. The US state department is comparatively absent from the Iraq war, with the majority of its 200 diplomats holed up in the (relatively) secure Green Zone or scattered in a handful of bases around the country, leaving diplomacy largely in the hands of twentysomethings in uniform. Diplomats emphatically do not embrace the suck. - The extent to which they're resisting it approaches outright insubordination."

State Department Use of Contractors Leaps in 4 Years
PG's post - A quote...."WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 — Over the past four years, the amount of money the State Department pays to private security and law enforcement contractors has soared to nearly $4 billion a year from $1 billion, administration officials said Tuesday, but they said that the department had added few new officials to oversee the contracts."

They met the resistance
A quote...."On one of those beautiful, fall Sunday mornings that can make you feel all is right with the world, filmmakers Molly Bingham and Steve Connors discussed their new documentary about Iraqis fighting the U.S. occupation, “Meeting Resistance,” 84 minutes of unflinching wallop destined to unhinge the way millions of Americans see their country’s role in the world."

Pakistan: Was A Deadly Missile Launched From A CIA Drone?
A quote...."Fighting in the mountainous northwest of Pakistan continues to escalate; witnesses say at least ten people were killed on Friday when three houses were destroyed by two missiles launched from a drone -- a pilotless, remote-controlled aircraft."

Japs and A-rabs, Not Fellow Christians
A quote...."On August 9th, 1945, two-thirds of Japan's Catholics were annihilated. Nagasaki's historic importance as the center of Japanese Christianity and openness to the West, one would think, would have spared it from being targeted by a Western Christian nation. Leaving aside the question of the unquestionable immorality of targeting a civilian center of population with a weapon of mass destruction, surely the leadership of an even nominally Christian and Western country would have realized that a city with Nagasaki's legacy would have served as a bridge for future trade and cultural ties, and thus would have protected it from destruction at all costs. This was not the case." - italics by website author.

To be honest, this editor had NO idea that Nagasaki was the center of Catholicism in Japan.  - mpg
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Desmond Tutu Likens Israeli Actions to Apartheid
PG's Post - A quote...."BOSTON, Oct 28 (IPS) - South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu compared conditions in Palestine to those of South Africa under apartheid, and called on Israelis to try and change them, while speaking in Boston Saturday at historic Old South Church."

France deplores Israel adopting sanctions against Palestinian civilians
PG's Post - A quote...."PARIS, Oct 29 (KUNA) -- France condemned here Monday Israels decision to adopt sanctions that would affect Palestinian civilians in Gaza Strip through imposing restrictions on the supply of power and fuel. - Spokesperson of the French foreign ministry Pascale Andreani told reporters that such measures have a "direct impact on the already alarming humanitarian situation" among civilians in Gaza. - She added that the Palestinian civilians should not be taken as "hostages nor punished in a collective manner."

Ziegler: Israel is the worst colonial regime
PG's Post - A quote...."NEW YORK, (PIC)-- Jean Ziegler, the UN special rapporteur on right to food, castigated the Israeli occupation and described it as the only "colonial regime" which refuses to abide by any international law, calling on the UN to adopt an effective policy forcing Israel to respect human rights and the Geneva Convention."
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The Case of the LA8: U.S. Drops 20-Year Effort to Deport Arab Americans for Supporting Palestinian Natl. Rights
Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3 || Watch 128k stream || Watch 256k stream || Read Transcript ||
A quote...."Prosecutors have ended a 20-year attempt to deport two Palestinian Americans for allegedly raising money for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Earlier this year an immigration judge ruled the government violated the defendants’ constitutional rights in a case he called "an embarrassment to the rule of law.” We speak to one of the men, Michel Shehadeh, and attorney Marc Van Der Hout. [includes rush transcript]"
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CODEPINK Activist Barred from Capitol After Calling Rice “War Criminal”
Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3 || Watch 128k stream || Watch 256k stream || Read Transcript ||
A quote...."CODEPINK activist Desiree Anita Ali-Fairooz was barred from Capitol Hill after she covered her hands in fake blood and approached Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week at the start of a congressional hearing. Ali-Fairooz said that the blood "of millions of Iraqis" was on the hands of the Bush administration. [includes rush transcript]"
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Wiretapping at Its Worst
PG's Post - A quote...."It seemed like shocking news last week when the telecommunications giant Verizon admitted it has readily allowed warrantless national security investigators to browse customer records on thousands of occasions. But given the revolving door between the telecom industry and federal government, no one should be surprised by their cozy relationship."

See also....The Last Bastion of Freedom is Falling - 05-30-06 - mpg
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Audience members disrupt Dick Cheney's speech
A quote...." Vice President Dick Cheney's remarks that the country should not abandon Iraq was met with protest both inside and outside the Hyatt Regency in Dallas on Friday."

A humble way for Bush to make amends
A quote...."In a recent column I speculated on President Bush's post-White House plans. What should he do with himself?"

Alice Collins of Oak Lawn has an idea.....

"Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, in the wind and snow of winter and the heat and humidity of summer, let him tend to the graves of the almost 4,000 men and women who have given their lives in the debacle of Iraq. They honored their oaths, obeyed their commander-in-chief and sacrificed their lives of promise to a lying, unprincipled warmonger."

"He can begin at the grave of my grandson, Lcpl Jonathan W. Collins, killed in action on 8/8/2004."

"Amen."
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Wall Street drilling for Middle East riches
A quote...."Wall Street bankers are flocking to the Middle East, and it's not for oil or the balmy weather. - Years of raging energy prices have made the states surrounding the Persian Gulf one of the fastest-growing regions and a source of immense wealth seeking investments at home and around the world."

A word to the wise in the Middle East....if you allow American "financial advisors" to gain access to your banking and securities markets, they will do to you what they've already done to the United States....have you looked at the United States lately? - mpg
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Curveball is Alive
A quote...."It isn't surprising that Iraqi expatriates like Curveball should be trying to peddle a load of horse manure about Iraqi 'weapons programs' in the early zeroes. - It is not remarkable that Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress and its US enablers such as Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, John Hannah, David Wurmser, Scooter Libby, Richard Perle, Michael Rubin, Abram Schulsky, etc., should have been running a sting on US intelligence (and most of them have never even been investigated for criminal activity). - What is sad is that we pay $43 billion a year for intelligence, and intelligence analysis should have been about avoiding being stung, not about gullibly buying the horse manure and labeling it caviar to be consumed at all Washington's best cocktail parties."

Will the USS Enterprise Be Sunk To Start A War With Iran
A quote...."No, the above headline is not deceptive, or meant to be sensational. I found this alert from Rueters, and in following-up on the USS Enterprise, I found another article posted in the US Navy forum that literally made me feel sick to my stomach:"

Is Osama bin Laden Dead? Part 1: December is for Dying - Part 2: the First Tapes
A quote from part I...."We just saw Osama bin Laden pop up around the 6th annual commemorative days of 9/11 to pour new salt into our collective American wounds, to let us know that he is alive and kicking and ready to continue the Jihad, ready to terrorize us again, as Homeland Security officials keep reminding us. And it is only "a matter of time" before the next attack occurs. - If this didn't pump new life into the somewhat stale, creaky and extremely expensive War on Terror, nothing will. Nothing like a new jolt of fear and a fresh paroxysm of anger to energize support for the defenders of Western Civilization, which has, as long as I can recall, having been raised in the 1950s, been continuously under threat from some vast evil or other that is just on the verge of exterminating us."

COINTELPRO Redux: Global Order Targets the 9/11 Truth and Patriot Movements
A quote...."In 1970, as an antiwar activist, I was deemed dangerous enough—even though I was eighteen years old—to warrant a dossier compiled by the Michigan State Police “Red Squad,” a throwback to the so-called Red Scare of the early 1920s. The Red Squad was organized to go after dissidents of all stripes but in particular, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, to go after antiwar and “New Left” activists. As I discovered years later, the Red Squads worked in concert with the FBI, under its notorious COINTELPRO, and even the CIA, supposedly prevented by its charter from snooping and subverting domestic activists."

Mukasey Wins Support from Key Senators - posted at BuzzFlash
A quote from BuzzFlash...."As BuzzFlash Predicted, Feinstein and Schumer Will Enable Torture by Supporting Mukasey for Attorney General -- and Put in Place an AG Who Will Probably Use Prosecutors to Assist the Giuliani Campaign. Feinstein Most Recently Voted for Southwick for the Federal Bench, the Only Dem on Judiciary to Do So. Mukasey is Also a Supporter of the Notion of Virtually Unfettered Executive Authority. Dems Always Cut Their Own Throats."

A quote from the article...."Two key Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), say they will support Judge Michael Mukasey to be the next attorney general. That makes Mukasey's confirmation almost certain."

The betrayal by the DemoRepubs is endless, simply endless. - mpg
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GUATEMALA:  Journalists Face Threats Over Report on Candidate
A quote...."GUATEMALA CITY, Nov 2 (IPS) - "Where are you? Hurry up, we’re waiting for you!" barked the voice on the telephone. Guatemalan journalist Enrique Castañeda had just finished writing an investigative article on rightwing presidential candidate Otto Pérez’s alleged links with organised crime, and this was the first phonecall he received." 

Bush Fundraiser Linked to CIA Drug Plane
A quote...."A MadCowMorningNews investigation has uncovered links between the ownership of the drug-running Gulfstream (Cocaine Two) and the other American-registered plane busted carrying a multi-ton load of cocaine in Mexico recently,  the DC9 (Cocaine One) airliner caught with 5.5 tons of cocaine in Mexico 18 months ago."

Russia Pours Billions in Oil Profits Into Nanotech Race
A quote...."MOSCOW -- Back in the mid-1980s, a joke made the rounds that the Kremlin was preparing a major announcement: After a decade-long top-secret crash program, socialist science had succeeded in building the world's largest microprocessor."


It's Not Only the Israel Lobby - Other Interests Benefit from the Chaos
Must Read - A quote...."The first major ally is the military-industrial complex, now funded by the new system of hidden congressional earmarks. Arnaud de Borchgrave first wrote about there being 15,000 defense budget earmarks. These allow a congressman to slip contracts into the budget for favored constituents, who then donate money to the congressman's reelection committee and may also provide well-paid jobs in their districts. These encourage warmaking, or at least threats of war, as never before. It's hard to hide money in the budget for "a bridge to nowhere," but a missile to nowhere will never be questioned, as its sponsors cloak their profits in "national defense."

US brushed aside UN nuclear watchdog agency's warning that there was no proof Iran seeks atomic weapons
A quote...."The United States on Monday brushed aside the UN nuclear watchdog agency chief's warning that there was no proof Iran seeks atomic weapons, and invited him to stay out of diplomacy with Tehran. - Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told CNN Sunday that he had no evidence Iran was building nuclear weapons and accused US leaders of adding "fuel to the fire" with their warlike rhetoric."

A Question for Would-Be Presidents
A quote...."As the Presidential debates wallow their sorry way through a sea of inanities, leaving in their wake 600 million glazed eyes, a novel thought occurs: what if some mad cur introduced a real question into one of them? At the very least, it would be fun to watch the puppets' strings snap (each party has a single candidate who is not a Punchinello, Ron Paul for the Republicans and Dennis Kucinich for the Democrats). I have just such a question at hand, one that happens to be central to the future of our republic: How, dear sir or madam, do you propose, if elected President, to avoid a long war?"

Faulty Intel Source "Curve Ball" Revealed
A quote..."(CBS) 60 Minutes has identified the man whose fabricated story of Iraqi biological weapons drove the U.S. argument for invading Iraq. It has also obtained video of "Curve Ball," as he was known in intelligence circles, and discovered he was not only a liar, but also a thief and a poor student instead of the chemical engineering whiz he claimed to be."

For more on this issue see....Fake Intel - Curveball
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Did Blackwater sneak silencers into Iraq?
A quote...."WASHINGTON - Federal agents are investigating allegations that the Blackwater USA security firm illegally exported dozens of firearms sound suppressors — commonly known as silencers — to Iraq and other countries for use by company operatives, sources close to the investigation tell NBC News. - Investigators from various federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the State Department and the Commerce Department, are digging into the allegations that the company exported the silencers without getting necessary export approval, according to law enforcement sources, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity."

For more on this issue see....US Support of Terror - Money & Guns for Everyone
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What the Neocons Need
A quote...." With one leg firmly planted at the American Enterprise Institute and the other even more firmly planted in the jelly-like mass we know as the United States Congress, neocons in Washington are in serious need of something constructive to do. - Like so many mortals, the neocons have confused what they think they need with what they really need. They firmly believe they need war, war, and more war. To get the right kind of Muslim carnage in the Middle East, neocons hope to instigate an act of war against Iran that will – in one fell swoop – merge four other conflicts into one burning pulsating endless bloodfest."

Catapulting Propaganda - The Wages of Hegemony - posted at CounterPunch
A quote...."When he departs the White House on 20 January, 2009, the current resident will bequeath to the American people and the next administration an interminable war in the Middle East and a depreciated currency."

As the world forgets Gaza
A quote...."It was an emotional scene. Relief was apparent on the faces of Mohamed Al-Masri and his wife Rania as they followed the nurse transferring their firstborn, 12-year-old Ahmed, from the operating room in Dar Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The medical team had finally been able to perform surgery in Ahmed's ear to recover his hearing after Israel had temporarily barred the import of nitrous oxide, which is used as anaesthesia and is necessary for surgery to be performed. Israel had given permission to import this vital gas to Gaza Strip hospitals only the day prior to Ahmed's operation last week."
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Italian Journalist Giuliana Sgrena to Appeal Court Ruling Dismissing Trial Against U.S. Soldier Accused of Shooting Her and Killing an Italian Intelligence Agent in Iraq
Listen to Segment || Download Show mp3 || Watch 128k stream || Watch 256k stream || Read Transcript ||
A quote...."The soldier, Mario Lozano, blames Giuliana Sgrena for the shooting which occurred shortly after she was freed after being held hostage in Iraq. He criticized Sgrena for going to Iraq and reporting on the war: "She knows that if she's going to go talk to terrorists, she knows there's a 99 percent chance she will get caught… It's not my fault, it's not America's fault, it's not the Italian government's fault, it's Sgrena's fault." [includes rush transcript]"

Army Has Record Low Level of Recruits
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army began its recruiting year Oct. 1 with fewer signed up for basic training than in any year since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973, a top general said Wednesday."

State Department's image guru Karen Hughes quits
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department's public diplomacy chief and image guru Karen Hughes, one of the last survivors of President George W. Bush's original inner circle, said on Wednesday she would quit and return to Texas."

Guess she just couldn't spin that last Blackwater slaughter-fest quickly enough to satisfy her wealthy masters. - mpg
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Outsourced Authority
A quote...."Where Would Blackwaters' Thousands of Mercenary Soldiers Go, if the Iraq War Ended Today?"

FCC Pressed to Stop Comcast’s Internet Blocking
A quote...."Responding to Comcast’s blocking of Internet traffic, members of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition and Internet scholars at the nation’s top law schools today filed a petition and complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. The filings call for urgent action to stop violations of consumers’ right to access the software and content of their choice."

For more on this issue see.....The Last Bastion of Freedom is Falling
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Poisonous Espionage - Litvinenko and the New Cold War - posted at CounterPunch
A quote...."Four Russian diplomats were expelled from Britain this summer as a pressure tactic to try to force Russia to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the key suspect in the death of a former KGB officer and proud new UK citizen, Alexander Litvinenko. The expulsion came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia was pulling out of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty and as Polish President Lech Kaczynski was visiting Washington to finalise the US missile bases in Europe. What a coincidence."

Official Statement Confirms Detonations on 9/11
A quote....“Initially it was just one flash. Then this flash just kept popping all the way around the building and that building had started to explode. The popping sound, and with each popping sound it was initially an orange and then red flash came out of the building and then it would just go all around the building on both sides as far as I could see.”
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9/11 - From The History File...WTC7 "Pull It"
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Bush invokes 9/11 to justify torture, domestic spying and war
A quote...."In a speech Thursday, President Bush invoked the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 as an all-purpose justification for his prevailing on a series of issues now in dispute in Congress: the confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general despite his refusal to disavow torture; the passage of legislation to give sweeping new domestic spying powers to the federal government; and the approval of yet another emergency spending bill providing nearly $200 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Number of US Homes Facing Foreclosure Doubles in Third Quarter
A quote..."A soaring number of U.S. homeowners struggled to make mortgage payments in the third quarter, with properties in some stage of foreclosure more than doubling from the same time last year, a mortgage data company said Thursday."

Fed has biggest day of injections since Sept 2001
A quote...."NEW YORK - The U.S. Federal Reserve added a total of $41 billion in temporary reserves to the banking system on Thursday, the biggest single day of such injections since September 2001. - The Fed's infusions may reflect the central bank's efforts to bring the federal funds rate down nearer to its target just one day after a widely expected rate cut."

The fact the Fed injected $41 billion in temporary reserves and the Dow went down 360 points all on the same day is not a positive sign of market stability. – mpg
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India becomes 5th largest holder of forex reserves
A quote...."India today joined the elite group of world's five biggest holders of foreign exchange reserves as it added about 4.5 billion dollars last week to take the kitty to 261 billion dollars.

Western Canada's Glaciers Hit 7000-Year Low
A quote...."The radiocarbon dates seem to be the same around the world, according to Koch. It's important to note that there have been many advances and retreats of these glaciers over the past 7000 years, but no retreats that have pushed them back so far upstream as to expose these trees."

Bernanke: Don't take me for granted, boys
A quote...."For this Halloween, it seems that US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke chose to dress up as Betty "Riz" Rizzo, the young social outcast in the 1978 film Grease.  -  Riz sings a song of remorse, expressing outward pride but inner shame over being the girl the 1950s boys know they can go to when they want an assured good time."

New Cold War: Great Game for Supremacy in the New World Order?
A quote...."There has been much talk in recent months of a return to the Cold War, as increasingly there is growing disparities and tensing relations between the West, namely the Anglo-Americans, and the Russian Federation, the former Soviet Union, as well as China. ‘Is the Cold War Back?’ as the headline of a Reuters article asked, stating, “Russia has revived its Soviet-era practice of continuous long-range bomber patrols, sending 14 aircraft on such missions in the latest in a series of moves apparently designed to show off Russia’s new-found assertiveness,” and that “Russia’s military is now receiving a major injection of cash to modernise ageing equipment — including new planes — after years of under-funding and neglect since the Soviet Union ceased to exist.”

Report: Poland May Pull Out of Iraq
A quote...."WARSAW, Poland - Polish Prime Minister-designate Donald Tusk said his future government would seek to end the nation's military mission in Iraq next year, according to an interview published Wednesday."

Japan to order navy ships home from Afghan mission
A quote...."TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese ships will be ordered to withdraw from a mission backing U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Thursday as a midnight deadline to extend the mission was set to expire."

Could Iran redefine Euro-American relations?
A quote...."As European officials express concern about the fact that the Bush administration's designation of Iranian agencies and firms as supporters of terrorism could block relations with Tehran for years to come, President Vladimir Putin's description of these new U.S. sanctions, as America "running around like a madman with a razor blade in his hand," seems appropriate and worrisome."

U.S. to face "quagmire" if attacks Iran: commander
A quote...."TEHRAN (Reuters) - The United States or its allies would find themselves trapped in a "quagmire deeper than Iraq and Afghanistan" if it chose to attack the Islamic Republic, Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander said on Wednesday"

Facing defeat in Afghanistan
A quote...."Nato troops plunged into a vicious new round of fighting with the Taliban yesterday as hundreds of Afghan civilians fled their homes in villages around Kandahar. The violence, in which about 50 militants reportedly died, again underscored how insecure and ungovernable large tracts of the south and east remain six years after "victory in Kabul".

Saudi Arabia to buy 150 russian helicopters!
A quote...."In an abrupt policy shift, Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement to buy over 150 Russian-made Mi-35 Hind and Mi-17 Hip helicopters worth over $2.2 billion, ending French hopes of sealing a long-delayed sale of 148 helicopters and raising doubts about future French arms sales to the Saudi kingdom."

Republican Senator Calls for Unconditional Talks - [Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel]
A quote...."Amid growing contention among Democratic presidential contenders about US policy toward Iran, a senior Republican lawmaker has appealed to President George W. Bush to pursue "direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks" with Tehran."

Rumsfeld Charged with Torture in French Court
A quote...."NEW YORK - Donald Rumsfeld, the former U.S. secretary of defense, is facing criminal charges in France for ordering the torture of prisoners in Iraq and at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay. - Last week, some of the world’s leading human rights law groups filed a complaint before a French court charging Rumsfeld with authorizing and ordering torture. - The complaint was registered at the office of the prosecutor of the Court of First Instance in Paris when Rumsfeld was in the city for a talk sponsored by Foreign Policy magazine."

US attorney general nominee refuses to condemn torture techniques
A quote...."The Bush administration’s nominee for attorney general, Michael Mukasey, refused on Tuesday to declare that waterboarding and other torture techniques are illegal. He also repeated a series of positions undermining basic democratic rights on questions of detention, domestic spying and presidential power."

U.N. told Hezbollah arsenal has tripled
A quote...."JERUSALEM, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Israel has informed the United Nations the arsenal of Hezbollah guerrillas' land-to-sea missiles in Lebanon has tripled, Haaretz reported Wednesday.

State to Blackwater: Nothing You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You in a Court of Law
A quote...."Apparently there is one set of rights for Blackwater mercenaries and another for the rest of us. Normally when a group of people alleged to have gunned down 17 civilians in a lawless shooting spree are questioned, investigators will tell them something along the lines of: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” But that is not what the Blackwater operatives involved in the September 16 Nisour Square shooting in Iraq were told. Most of the Blackwater shooters were questioned by State Department Diplomatic Security investigators with the understanding that their statements and information gleaned from them could not be used to bring criminal charges against them, nor could they be introduced as evidence. In other words, “Anything you say can’t and won’t be used against you in a court of law.”
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Profits Higher at Military Contractors
A quote....The military contractors Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics posted higher third-quarter profit yesterday and raised their financial forecasts as a result of strong Pentagon spending. - The broadly positive results come a day after Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest military contractor, beat Wall Street’s profit expectations and raised its full-year forecast on record Pentagon spending and demand for its jets."

US defense firms post higher profits, up forecasts
A quote...."NEW YORK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Top-tier defense contractors Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N: Quote, Profile , Research) and General Dynamics Corp (GD.N: Quote, Profile , Research) posted higher third-quarter profit on Wednesday and raised their financial forecasts on the back of strong U.S. military spending."

Cashing In on Terror
A quote...."Lockheed Martin, the nation’s top weapons manufacturer, reaped a 22 percent increase in profits, while rivals for the defense buck, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics, increased profits by 62 percent and 22 percent, respectively.  Boeing’s profits jumped 61 percent, spiked this quarter by its commercial division, but Boeing’s military division, like the others, has been doing very well indeed since the terrorist attacks.  As Newsweek International put in August: “Since 9/11 and the U.S.-led wars that followed, shares in American defense companies have outperformed both the Nasdaq and Standard & Poor’s stock indices by some 40 percent.  Prior to the recent cascade of stock prices worldwide, Boeing’s share prices had tripled over the past five years while Raytheon’s had doubled.” - bold/italics by webist author

"Not bad for an industry in serious difficulty with the sudden collapse of the Cold War at the beginning of the 1990s..."

Gee that 9/11 sure came in handy, didn't it?  To all the men and woman currently serving in the armed forces you're doing a fantastic job, our glorious military and defense contractors couldn't have done it without your support....along with your lives, limbs and bodies.  Keep up the good work - mpg
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9/11 - From The History File...NSA Domestic Surveillance Began 7 Mo B4 9/11, Convicted Qwest CEO Claims
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Arms dealer implicates Canadian ex-prime minister in cover-up
A quote...."OTTAWA - Former prime minister Brian Mulroney allegedly tried to hide cash payments of 300,000 dollars he received from an arms dealer now facing charges in Germany, said Canada's public broadcaster Wednesday."

More Fresh Hell Served Up on the Terror War's Somalia Front
A quote...."There is more travail in Somalia, the land that time forgot – but the War on Terror did not. As reported copiously here, Somalia is the third "regime change" operation of Bush's globe-devouring Terror War. (Check out at least some of the stories gathered here to get an idea of the death and suffering spawned by the American-backed upheaval.) This blood-red op was conducted largely by proxy, through the invading armies of Ethiopian dictator Meles Zenawi and Somali warlords on the CIA payroll."

The Air Force Cover-Up of that Minot-Barksdale Nuclear Missile Flight
A quote...."There is something deeply disturbing about the Air Force’s official report on the Aug-29-30 “bent spear” incident that saw six nuclear warheads get mounted on six Advanced Cruise Missiles and improperly removed from a nuclear weapons storage bunker at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, then get improperly loaded on a B-52, and then get improperly flown to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana—a report that attributed the whole thing to a “mistake.”

See also....Minot bomb wing gets new commander Thursday
See also....False Flag Ops - Barksdale / B-52 Loose Nukes Incident
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Bush Furthers Dictatorship Agenda
A quote...."George W. Bush continues his quest to turn the President’s office into a full dictatorship. The Washington Post recently reported that due to Congress’s failure to approve specific pieces of legislation, Bush will use more executive orders over the upcoming months to get things done. Bush has already seized additional powers through a series of draconian laws like the Patriot Act and Military Commissions Act as well as through the use of unconstitutional executive orders and directives like NSPD-51/HSPD-20 which gives Bush the power of a dictator in the case of a catastrophic emergency.
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Kucinich to Introduce Cheney Impeachment Resolution
A quote...."Dennis Kucinich told a group organized by Progressive Democrats of America by        telephone on October 23 that he intends to introduce to the House of Representatives on a point of personal privilege a resolution of impeachment against Dick Cheney sometime before Thanksgiving."

It's Watergate all over again – Only this time it was successful...
A quote...."There are many incidents in the political world that bear scrutiny, like stolen elections, election fraud, ‘caging’ and so on but let me whittle it down to just one, which has been nagging at me for many months. - Lets think for a moment; what was the purpose of the burglary into the oppositions’ offices in the Watergate scandal, and why was it, when it was found out, such a scandal?"

Editor's note: Add three more zeros to the figure for those missing White House e-mails.

Warning: Both U.S. Parties Plan To Keep Troops in Middle East
A quote...."Sentiment is growing in both political parties for extending the U.S. military presence in Iraq in order “to ensure the safe flow of petroleum,” according to the Nov. 12th issue of The Nation magazine. -  Not only is President Bush protracting U.S. engagement in Iraq but the two leading Democratic contenders for his job, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, don’t appear eager to quit Iraq, either. Their election may only result in more of the same Bush-style belligerent imperialism and needless bloodshed."

A velvet divorce in China
Must Read - A quote...."Beijing thoughtfully chose a sub-provincial city on the banks of the Songhua River in the far northeast corner of China as the setting for the third "stand alone" trilateral meeting with Russia and India at the foreign minister level, which China last week hosted for the first time.

India rediscovers East Asia
A quote...."The visit of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to India in August; India's multi-nation military exercise with the navies of Australia, Japan, Singapore and the United States in September following the trilateral naval exercises with Japan and the United States in April; and the planned visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to China following China's and India's first joint counter-terrorism training in November were all events confirming that India's "Look East" policy is in full swing."

US State Dept in furor over reported Blackwater immunity deal
A quote...."A top US legislator demanded information Tuesday over reports that the State Department offered immunity to Blackwater employees in the wake of a Baghdad shooting that left 17 civilians dead. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden called on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to explain whether the private security group, which protects US diplomats in Baghdad under a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars, had been offered protection from prosecution when the State Department investigated the September 16 shooting."

China Rejects Israeli Push for Further Sanctions Against Iran
A quote...."Israel's Foreign Minister has urged China to support more sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop its nuclear programs. But as Daniel Schearf reports for VOA from Beijing, China has rejected new sanctions."

Secret move to upgrade air base for Iran attack plans
War Warning - A quote...."The US is secretly upgrading special stealth bomber hangars on the British island protectorate of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean in preparation for strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, according to military sources. - The improvement of the B1 Spirit jet infrastructure coincides with an "urgent operational need" request for £44m to fit racks to the long-range aircraft.

US accused of torture
A quote..."THE United States's willingness to resort to harsh interrogation techniques in its so-called war on terror undermined human rights and the international ban on torture, a United Nations spokesman says. Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on torture, said the US's standing and importance meant it was a model to other countries which queried why they were subject to scrutiny when the US resorted to measures witnessed at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib prison."

UN: Try or Release Enemy Combatants
A quote...."UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A U.N. human rights expert is calling on the United States to try release suspects detained as ``unlawful enemy combatants'' and to move quickly to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

U.S. Resisting Ban on Cluster Bombs'
A quote...."BRUSSELS, Oct 29 (IPS) - The U.S. is leading efforts to resist a complete ban on cluster bombs, human rights activists have complained. - But a conference called by European governments in Brussels Tuesday is regarded as a step towards an international agreement on eliminating cluster weapons -- in which hundreds of small 'bomblets' are packed together. - Although an accord appears likely to be reached during 2008, activists are concerned over diplomatic manoeuvres by Washington to ensure that it will not be too stringent."

Declassified: US spying could top $50 billion in 2007
A quote...."The tab for US non-military spying in 2007 is a whopping $43.5 billion, according to figures released today by National Director of Intelligence Mike McConnell."
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>>>  There's a Sucker Born Every Minute  <<<

A Zogby Poll Shows Complacency In America Has Been Replaced By Ignorance and Stupidity
A quote...."When I read the results of a new Zogby Poll, my heart dropped as I realized that complacency in America has been replaced by ignorance and stupidity - and it appears the majority of the population is falling hook, line, and sinker for the propaganda being spewed by the White House, Fox News, and a host of right-wing pundits. They have the most money, so their message of hate is overcoming the voice of logic and reason - and those of who are aware of the truth are obviously in the minority. I am saddened that my fellow countrymen do not have the wherewithal to seek the truth for themselves rather than believing everything they hear on the radio and TV."

All of the recent polls for the last several years show Bush's approval ratings falling through the floor, much of this disapproval due to the complete fiasco called Iraq and yet the American people according to the poll shown above want Bush to do the exact same identically stupid thing all over again.  And it gets even worse; the hucksters running this scam have used the exact same patently false propaganda that they used in their run-up to the Iraq war to "convince" the American rubes that this country should attack Iran.

Nothing demonstrates the average American's utter stupidity better than this poll.  To have your life, YOUR VERY LIFE, and that of your children, ordered and centered around the "boob tube" (YuTb 4m51s), much of whose content is manufactured by people like Rupert Murdoch is a vivid demonstration of what PT Barnum once said...."there's a sucker born every minute".

Half of this country consists of clinically dangerous mental incompetents who would put their own babies into microwave to dry them off if the TV told them to do so, or shoot their neighbors if the TV informed them their neighbors had suddenly been changed into little green aliens.

There is simply no excuse for these poll results, absolutely none at all. – mpg
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The Undead Walk Among Us: Chalabi Returns!
Must Read - A quote...."Ahmad Chalabi, that "hero in error" whose self-serving mendacity was a major tool of the Bush Regime's PR drive toward the war of aggression they had long planned to wage on Iraq, has made yet another comeback. After the Regime's plans to parachute Chalabi into Baghdad as the strongman went awry – chiefly because he was widely despised by the Iraqi people – Chalabi was handed various plum sinecures in the various colonial arrangements that followed. Then a bout of intercine warfare between the various factions of the security apparat led to Chalabi's exposure as an Iranian spy, and at one point, he seemed hoosegow-bound. But so wedded were the Bushists to the convicted fraudster who had helped them despoil his country and slaughter a million of his fellow Iraqis, that Chalabi somehow hung on in the bowels of the satrapy."

Tomgram: Michael Schwartz, Iraq Policy Floating on a Sea of Oil
A quote...."Or, more mildly, Americans traditionally aren't much interested in it and the media largely don't have time for it either. For one thing, the past is often just so inconvenient. On Monday, for instance, there was a front-page piece in the New York Times by Elisabeth Bumiller on Robert Blackwill, one of the "Vulcans" who helped Condoleezza Rice advise George W. Bush on foreign policy during the 2000 election campaign, Iraq Director on the National Security Council during the reign in Baghdad of our viceroy L. Paul Bremer III, and the President's personal envoy to the faltering occupation (nicknamed "The Shadow"), among many other things."

While  you read this article think of ROME and the Roman Empire....think of Blackwater, KBR, Haliburton, privatization, the massive corruption, the appointments of personal friends and business acquaintances for cushy positions throughout the world, and choice cuts from the business opportunities in conquered territories for those who would "toe the line", of "pro-consuls" and "governors" and local riffraff kept in place by bribes and US power despite the opposition of their people, think of the Roman Legions and the over eight hundred bases scattered throughout the world to rule over this nation's newly acquired vassal states.

This editor does not recall a single US politician standing up and proclaiming that this is what the citizens of the United States had to look forward too, and yet this is what we have become. - mpg
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Sour Sarkozy storms out of TV interview
A quote...."A visibly exasperated Mr Sarkozy cut short the interview with CBS, the American network, ripped off his microphone and walked away when questioned about his marriage this month. Two weeks after the interview, which was broadcast on Sunday, he announced his divorce from Cécilia, his wife of 11 years."

Bush's new "French poodle" has distemper, or perhaps the strains cause by the break-up with his former wife, who no doubt is still highly displeased at being dumped for Bush, were simply too much for poor Sarkozy to handle. - mpg

For more on this entire issue see....The Sarkozy File
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US: No objection to Egyptian nuclear program
A quote...."The White House on Monday said it had little information about Egypt's plans to relaunch its nuclear power program but declared itself "generally supportive" of civilian atomic power."

Oh goody, now we know which country is going to be set-up for the next "pre-emptive" attack ten years from now at the end of the US's upcoming ten year economic cycle (2012-2022).  No doubt the powers that be will just recycle the same tired old excuses they used for attacking Iraq and Iran.

Think that's a joke, check this out - mpg


See also....Past Arguments Don't Square With Current Iran Policy
See also....The two faces of Rumsfeld
See also....Rumsfeld was on ABB Board During Nuclear Deal with North Korea
See also....Swing Blades - Rumsfeld Filled His Pockets with Pyongyang's Nuclear Loot
See also....U.S. endorsed Iranian plans to build massive nuclear energy industry
See also....Halliburton Subsidiary to Build North Korea's First Light-Water Reactor
See also....Halliburton Secretly Doing Business with Key Member of Iran's Nuclear Team
See also....US Sens question Halliburton Selling Nuclear Technology to Iran
See also....Report: U.S. supplied the kinds of germs Iraq later used for biological weapons
See also....U.S. Supplied Germs to Iraq in '80s
See also....Under Reagan, Secret Deals Brokered by Rumsfeld with Saddam Secured the Dictator WMD
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Iran Adapts to Economic Pressure
A quote...."Confronted by mounting U.S. and U.N. pressure, Iran has been steadily shifting its trade from West to East and, with the benefit of record high oil prices, is likely to be able to withstand the new U.S. sanctions, according to U.S., European and Iranian analysts."

Venezuela’s debt to Cuba
A quote...."The Venezuelan oligarchy vehemently criticizes President Chávez for providing fuel assistance to the government in Havana. It is true that Cuba receives 98 thousand barrels of petroleum daily at preferential prices. Nevertheless the Caribbean nation is not the only nation benefiting from favorable agreements. The majority of the countries in that region including Haiti, Jamaica and Nicaragua also enjoy this political solidarity. London as well as various United States cities are also recipients of Venezuela’s generosity without it stirring up such controversy. (1)."

Putin employs KGB ally to govern
A quote...."RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has named a former KBG agent and long-term ally to the post of chief administrator for far east Russia. - Oleg Safonov, 47, who has been deputy minister for the interior since November 2006, now joins a long list of so-called 'siloviki' - former security service personnel - promoted to key posts during Mr Putin's eight year presidency."

‘Dixie Chicking’: Post-9/11 Blacklisting in the Entertainment Industry
A quote...."There are other examples of creative people suffering the consequences of their outspokenness since 9/11, but none are as compelling as the saga of the Dixie Chicks, the top-selling “girl group” of all time. Indeed, the red, white and bluegrass band’s name became a verb meaning censoring and punishing dissenters: “Dixie Chicking.” The Chicks’ story was turned into a documentary by two-time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple (1976’s “Harlan County USA” and 1990’s “American Dream") and Cecilia Peck. Cecilia’s father, Gregory Peck, won the Oscar for portraying the screen’s archetypal fighting liberal, Atticus Finch, in 1962’s anti-racist “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and produced the 1972 anti-Vietnam-War film “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine,” about the Berrigan brothers’ anti-draft activities. (In August 2007, Tim Robbins’ L.A.-based Actors Gang troupe presented a reading of the “Catonsville Nine” drama as a fundraiser.)"

Home prices falling at record pace in August
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The 13-month-long decline in home prices in 20 major U.S. cities accelerated in August, with prices dropping a record 0.7% in the month, according to the Case-Shiller price index released Tuesday by Standard & Poor's Corp."

U.S. Tosses Lifeline to Lenders Using Home Loan Banks (Update1)
Must Read - War Warning - A quote...." Countrywide Financial Corp., Washington Mutual Inc., Hudson City Bancorp Inc. and hundreds of other lenders borrowed a record $163 billion from the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks in August and September as interest rates on asset-backed commercial paper rose as high as 5.6 percent. The government-sponsored companies were able to make loans at about 4.9 percent, saving the private banks about $1 billion in annual interest. - To meet the sudden demand, the institutions sold $143 billion of short-term debt in August and September, according to the FHLBs' Office of Finance. The sales pushed outstanding debt up 21 percent to a record $1.15 trillion, an amount that may become a burden to U.S. taxpayers because almost half comes due before 2009."

TruthDig Cartoons
Some funnies. - mpg

Monday October 29th 2007

Scholars for 9/11 Truth - New postings
THE FAA KNEW! - But were they set up?
Armed pilots banned 2 months before 9-11
DISARMING PILOTS